Power BI at NC State
Modern tools are key to NC State’s strategy for Advancing Data and Analytics. Following a thorough evaluation, Power BI has been selected as NC State’s enterprise analytics platform, addressing one of the university’s key data and analytics infrastructure needs.
Timely, Accessible Data for Decision-Making
Power BI offers several benefits for creating and sharing reports, dashboards, and data visualizations. With Power BI, NC State can:
- Create new data and analytics content faster.
- Take advantage of modern capabilities and features.
- Publish and maintain data products with ease.
Ultimately, Power BI will support data-driven decisions that advance NC State’s mission.
Who Uses Power BI?
Faculty, staff, and students can access and use the Power BI Desktop application for their own projects as needed. Power BI Desktop is available for individual use through the M365 license.
University Data and Analytics (UDA) efforts are focused on ensuring that NC State achieves its full realization of benefits from Power BI. Currently, the enterprise Power BI Service platform, which hosts and shares content developed in Power BI Desktop, is limited to administrative use cases only; it is not available for academic or research purposes.
Access to publish content on the platform is limited to individuals with data and analytics duties in central business units that have data reporting responsibilities.
Power BI
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Power BI Desktop and what are its use cases for NC State?
Power BI Desktop is a Microsoft application that allows users to connect to, transform, and visualize data.
At NC State, Power BI Desktop is used to create reports to promote informed, data driven decisions.
What is Power BI Service and what are its use cases for NC State?
The Power BI Service is a cloud-based platform for sharing and collaborating on Power BI reports.
At NC State, Authorized Developers create content in Power BI Desktop and publish and share it with many different audiences using NC State’s enterprise Power BI Service.
How do I get access to Power BI Desktop?
University employees with a Microsoft 365 account can download Power BI Desktop through the Microsoft App Store. It is for individual use. Content cannot be shared through Power BI Desktop.
Where can I find training resources for Power BI?
A list of free training resources can be found here:
Resources for Learning Power BI
Are there licensing requirements for Power BI at NC State, and are there any associated costs?
Power BI Desktop is part of the university’s M365 license and available at no additional cost to the unit for university employees with a Microsoft 365 account.
Access to the enterprise Power BI Service for Authorized Developers in central business units will be funded centrally and provided once onboarding to the service and authorization are complete.
I have a dashboard or report in Power BI Desktop, I want to publish in the enterprise Power BI Service, how can I get access?
Individuals with data and analytics duties in central business units that have data reporting responsibilities can request to become an Authorized Developer.
Please email Allison Swim at amswim@ncsu.edu with the subject Authorized Developer Onboarding. Please include your name, department, work unit, and supervisor contact information. University Data and Analytics staff will contact you regarding your request within two business days. All requests for onboarding are subject to approval.
What is an Authorized Developer?
Authorized Developers are individuals who have data and analytics duties in central business units that have data reporting responsibilities who have completed an onboarding process with UDA regarding the publication process, style guidelines, data governance, etc.
Authorized Developers are responsible for developing and maintaining professional Power BI reports in accordance with the Data Management Regulation and the standards, processes, and style guidelines included and/or referenced in the onboarding and documentation.
How do I become an Authorized Developer?
Please email Allison Swim at amswim@ncsu.edu with the subject Authorized Developer Onboarding. Please include your name, department, work unit, and supervisor contact information. University Data and Analytics staff will contact you regarding your request within two business days. All requests for onboarding are subject to approval.
Where can I learn more about the development and publication process?
A timeline of the development process is available here.
Where can I access the Power BI Templates?
Templates are available for Authorized Developers through this Sharepoint folder.
Are there any specific style guidelines that should be followed when creating content in Power BI?
Guidelines for the look and feel of content can be found in the Data Visualization Style Guide.
How does NC State ensure data security and privacy within the enterprise Power BI Service?
The University Data Stewards review all documentation, classification, and content. The data stewards also review and approve all access settings.
Authorized Developers are expected to maintain professional reports in accordance with Data Management Regulation and other applicable university policies. Authorized Developers who do not maintain these standards risk losing their status as an Authorized Developer.
I have a question that isn’t answered here, who should I contact?
Questions can be directed to isa-analytics@ncsu.edu.